Are you kidding? That mule was strapped into a saddle that must have been torture to her back. Placed way too far forward , Angled back by so ridiculously tight pull from the crupper stap, tied up with the reins to a curb bit knotted So tight they'd apply steady strong pull on the mouth, and ridden out in that position. That was not patience of a saint. It was plain old fear.

Are you kidding? That mule was strapped into a saddle that must have been torture to her back. Placed way too far forward , Angled back by so ridiculously tight pull from the crupper stap, tied up with the reins to a curb bit knotted So tight they'd apply steady strong pull on the mouth, and ridden out in that position. That was not patience of a saint. It was plain old fear.

See, I liked this last mule LOTS better than the first one. She was ridden and handled (in my opinion) in an absurd way and she kept herself together. I like that she kept her cool even though she was scared.

All of those South American mules/horses look scared to me. I thought the first one was worse. Because he/she was scared and DID react to it. Plus setting back is just a plain dangerous habit. Even if better trained, they will still have a tendency to do that when scared by something. My first horse would sometimes do that. He got better over the years but would still do it on rare occasions.

Which one? I missed the trotting but both looked scared and ill handled. But the second one seems to know how to deal with it better. Plus, even gaited HORSES can trot and panic. Because something is gaited doesn't mean it can't trot or panic.

I guess I saw the first mule as something I wouldn't want around, and the second mule as something that would blossom under normal handling.

Definitely Paso Fino mules, the second one has much better gaiting. The saddle position is very strange but I guess we can't judge how other cultures saddle their mounts. I know I wouldn't enjoy riding my mules neck!

As far as the first one, it isn't unusual at all to girth both front and rear on a mule, in fact depending on the type of riding it is essential. I centerfire my mule and skip the rear cinch. I also use a britchen instead of a crupper.

The second isn't tied by the bit, it is tied by the Pisador which is separate from the bit hanger or bit.

So I disagree with how the first mule was handled but can I just say, I love that camera man!

Just from a video perspective I was very impressed. The camera man showed us everything a viewer would want to see. He took time to show us the horses conformation from both sides including the legs, we saw the horse saddled and bridled, and even when he followed the rider around he kept that camera incredibly steady! I was also very pleased that when the mule did act up, he didn't turn the camera off or look away to hide any flaws. When needed, he zoomed appropriately without zooming in too much or so fast it gave the viewer motion sickness and after the rider was done riding, he also made sure to have him mount again where we saw the horse stand a bit better and saw him also dismount from the off side.

Can you tell I see entirely too many sales videos what make me want to pull teeth?

I quite liked the little mule, there was nothing that would make me run away screaming if I was looking at buying her.

That poor mule in the second video must have felt like she had her mouth strapped tight all the way to her tail. :( I don't understand why this type of riding and treatment of animals is so common and accepted anywhere. I'm no bleeding heart, I'll give my horse a nice good whap or a come to Jesus moment if necessary, but if someone handled my animal this way I'd rip them off before they even knew what hit them. I certainly would not want the job of retraining one of these poor babies either.

I like the second mule far better than the first.
Looks like a paso/show type training camp, line of wood planks down the middle.
Hearing the feet is better than trying to watch them.
I would not like riding on that mule's neck though.
If it throws its head you will be missing teeth!

If you are new to horses and you watched the first video, do NOT buy a mule or a horse trained this way. The mule is only obedient bc the trainer is confident and assertive. If a green rider got on THIS mule, the rider WOULD be bucked off.
I don't prefer to do up a back cinch quite this tight, but snug is always a good idea. I, too, see a loose back cinch OR a loose breastplate as an accident waiting to happen.
This mule needs to be trained to patiently tie. She is young and it doesn't take more than one good session. They have a covered barn...why not tie her to a good strong post a horse length or two away from a calm seasoned mule or horse for an afternoon? Give her a little bit of hay and keep an eye on her, and pet her during the session and she'll learn it for LIFE.
I think it's a fine idea to breed gaited mules.

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